Abiding in ChristmasSample

"Abiding in Christmas: Daily Advent Thoughts" by Bryan Craig

DAY FIVE

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”  (Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ESV)

In our journey toward Jesus, we are spending time understanding the state of the world before Jesus came. All those interactions between God and man in the Old Testament are so important in understanding the heart of God toward us. We have read in the past few days about the several times that God rescued His people and showed His love. What does He ask in return? Just that we love Him back. Is that so hard? 

In Matthew 22:37, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He quoted this verse: to love God with all our heart and soul. If we are not loving God, it must be because we don’t know how much He loves us.

APPLICATION: Examine your heart to see if you love God. Scripture says we show that we love God by obeying His commandments. Are you obedient to God? If your heart has grown hard, ask Him to give you a new heart and for His Spirit to fill you up with His love.